Is it here yet?
by keriilurve
Summary: Neil is a nervous wreck. He's used to assisting animals in giving birth to their newborns but this is a different situation. How can he be calm and optimistic when it's his own child being born? A little one shot about the love between husband and wife, and the significance of sheep. [One shot] [Neil x Rio].


The lamb had lain huddled up in a heap on the floor of the barn, new curls of wool, dark and slicked back against her little body with blood. Pieces of hay had been stuck to her, sharp with fraying ends, a contrast to her fragile body. The newborn had shivered legs unsteady, beady eyes fearful as her mother lay collapsed behind her with exhaustion.

Why did he always have an instinct for these things? It would wake him up at the middle of the night, nagging at him, insisting that an animal was about to give birth. He must have had some sort of unconscious diary – fitted complete with a built in alarm – in his head that took note of all the due dates of every animal he'd ever had impregnated. Still, no matter how early it woke him up or how tired he might have been, he could never abandon an animal to give birth on her own.

Neil had sighed with exhaustion himself, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, rubbing his hands to keep warm. He had felt the strands of his blonde hair that were stuck to his sweaty forehead. Despite how tired he had been, how grumpy it might have made him, it had all been washed away at the sight of the little newborn lamb, her shivering body beginning to settle into this new world.

Neil specifically remembered the feel of the mother's thick, greasy wool between his fingers as he'd reached to pat her. "Good girl," he had breathed through a smile, watching her breathing begin to return to a regular pace. "You didn't need my help after all."

It was the image of every animal birth he had ever assisted here. The baby would arrive safely and quickly without complications and the mother would always survive. After the third time he'd experienced just that in this town, he'd had known; Rio took care of her animals.

Yet this time, Neil couldn't help the thought from drumming in his brain; what if it didn't go the same way this time?

"Stop worrying!" Rod repeated for about the tenth time, the same worriless grin on his face. It seemed effortless for him to be so carefree. Like with everything else that had to do with Rod, Neil was the opposite.

"It's not that easy," Neil grumbled, tapping his fingers anxiously against his palms. He felt the same sweat along his forehead as he did countless times before when he was assisting animals in their births – but that was always there because of exhaustion. This time it was here for an altogether different reason.

"She'll be fine," Rod cooed and patted Neil on the back. Despite how optimistic Rod was and how much it irritated Neil that he wasn't the same, Neil was glad Rod was here. He had asked – no, pleaded – him to come when he'd found out she had gone into labour. Rod was his ally, his friend. They had bonded over their love of animals – the same reason he had bonded with her. Honestly, Neil probably wouldn't have been able to cope if Rod hadn't been here.

"How do you know?" Neil sighed, his breath shaking, unsteady. His mind was distracted, constantly imagining the different scenarios that could happen – and they were always bad.

Rod patted his shoulder, a way to let Neil know he understood. "Well," he explained with a bright tone. "You've done this a thousand times before, haven't you? And it's always been fine."

A thousand times was a bit of an exaggeration.

Neil turned to look at Rod slowly. "That's with sheep," he glared at him. "And _cows_."

"Ah, but it's all the same really," Rod sighed a smile, stretching his arms back behind his head.

No. Really, it's not.

Neil was about to rebuke Rod when their heads snapped towards the sound that was coming from the house – the shrill cry of a baby.

They looked at each other then, eyes wide, realisation kicking in – they both understood what it meant.

Neil ran, Rod following closely behind him, towards the house. He had only been at the river situated at the bottom of the farm but it felt like forever before he reached the house, weaving through crops and fields and whatever else was insistent on getting in his way.

He flung the door open.

She lay wrapped up in the bed, her arms folded around the newborn baby, her eyes staring lovingly and amazed at it.

Neil spotted the midwife with her but his eyes couldn't be torn away from his wife or his child.

It took a few beats before Rio looked up from the baby and met eyes with Neil.

"Is… is it okay?" Neil stumbled the words out, falling towards them on weak legs as if he had lost all energy and was a rag doll.

Rio smiled up him when he drew close. Soon, she was beaming.

"Yes," Rio sighed happily. Neil could tell she was exhausted – the mother's always were – but she didn't want to fall asleep in case she missed anything.

Neil looked slowly down at the baby in her arms; his baby. Its tiny fingers were curled around the blanket that was wrapped around it. It had a button nose as small as his fingernail, eye lids closed, little lips smacking together as it settled down into sleep.

"It's a girl," Rio whispered.

Neil glanced up at her and saw the women he had fallen in love with. Now they shared something so special. "It always is," Neil found himself smiling. All his worry had been washed away.

He remembered the newborn lamb. It had been a girl, just like every other baby he had ever witnessed being born on Rio's farm.

"What?" Rio blinked at him, bewildered, a bizarre smile gracing her face.

Neil let out a tiny laugh, a sound he wasn't used to hearing. "Sheep," he said as if it was enough of an explanation.

Rio stared at him, looking as if she was about to laugh from confusion.

"And cows," Neil heard Rod hiss from behind them.

Neil glanced behind him, finding Rod standing in the doorway, grinning. Neil smiled knowingly.

"And cows," he nodded in agreement.

Rio sighed but laughed at both of them. "You boys," she shook her head then collapsed back against the pillow in exhaustion, her arms dipping with the weight of their baby in her arms.

Neil's eyes were drawn back to his daughter. _His _daughter. He still couldn't believe it. First, he'd gotten Rio and now… He couldn't help but smile.

"I suppose you'll want to call her 'sheep' now, too," Rio sighed a laugh.

Neil chuckled quietly.

There were two beats of silence as he stared in awe at his daughter.

Then; "Do you want to hold her?"

Neil looked up in surprise at Rio, as if asking 'can I?'. He had nodded before he had realised. #

Then she was lifting the baby up in her arms, and handing her gently over to his. He took his baby in his arms, feeling how light she was. His breath was stolen away just by touching her. Along with his words.

His thoughts were all filled with her.

No. He wouldn't call her 'sheep'.

Her name would be Amor.

It meant 'love'.


End file.
